Brothers
by shootingsilverstarlight
Summary: Anna and Andrew Sheppard love being foster parents, and their son John has always supported them. However, they face a challenge in the form of young orphan, Rodney McKay. AU. McKaySheppard friendship. NOT slash. Rated for language.
1. Alone

Just to clarify from the beginning, this is not _slash_ and at no point will it become slash. It is a McKay Sheppard friendship piece. I know there is one or two years age difference between David Hewlett and Joe Flannigan, but for the purposes of this fic, Rodney is only two months older than John. It makes more sense this way.

Oh my god! I just realised something. Does Kavanaugh remind anyone else of the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons? My sister is watching the Simpsons now and I'm seeing the similarities. Especially the pony tail. Freaky or what?

Note: I'm not American, so I am basing the foster system on the one we have here. Also, I'm making up the small town of New Hope and putting it in California. If there is a real town of New Hope in California… cool!

**Summary: Anna and Andrew Sheppard love being foster parents, and their son John has always supported them. However, they face a challenge in the form of a young orphan named Rodney McKay.**

Category: McKay Sheppard friendship fic.

Responses: Yes please!

Archive: Yes to and to Wraithbait. Anyone else please ask.

This first chapter is a little talkey, but I just need to establish a bit of back story, ok?

Rated for a little bit of language.

zzzzzz

New Hope, California. August, 1982.

There were sometimes when she really, truly hated her job.

Tracey Richardson rubbed her tired eyes in frustration. Usually, she loved working as a social worker in the Child Services Department in the relatively small town of New Hope. She got to help people, to make their lives better, more fulfilling. She helped find homes for kids who needed her help, and she loved watching them settle in to new foster families. It was challenging, yet rewarding.

And then there were times when her job just plain sucked.

Like now for example.

Two nights ago, a drunken father had driven into a wall, killing himself, his wife Jennifer, his seventeen year old daughter Jeanie and injuring his twelve year old son Rodney. Rodney had escaped with a broken arm, severe bruising and a concussion, and though his injuries weren't life threatening, they had warranted a few days in the hospital. That meant that that Child Services a few days more to figure out what to do with him.

Tracey looked at the report of the family that lay on the desk in front of her. Unfortunately, it was thick. She sighed in frustration. This family had clearly needed help and intervention, but, like too many others, had slipped through the cracks. Chalk up another success for Social Services. Her spirits sank lower as she read file after file on the family; everything from police statements and hospital visits to neighbours testimonies and school assessments.

From all accounts, Michael McKay had been a drunk, and a mean drunk at that. He had moved his family to California from Canada two years before when he lost his job as a car salesman and couldn't find another. Since their arrival, his wife, Jennifer, had been admitted to hospital several times with 'unexplained' bruising and broken bones. Tracey winced as she read the hospital reports because she knew that they had been the most severe injuries, and she shuddered to think what had happened that hadn't warranted a hospital visit.

Jeanie had been a rebellious, wild child, and had several run-ins with the law. She had been arrested several times for under-age drinking and for driving under the influence in an unlicensed car. There were also notes in her file of hospital visits, and Tracey heart sank saw they almost always co-incided with her being arrested.

And Rodney? Well, the boy was a genius… literally. His abilities had been discovered at the tender age of six by a teacher in Canada, but his parents had made no move to help their son develop his mind. Tracey read the reports from his school, and saw that Rodney spent tremendous amounts of extra time in the library there, working on assignments and expanding his knowledge, basically doing everything he could to avoid going home.

All in all, it seemed that the McKay family was the cornerstone for familial dysfunction. Tracey allowed herself a brief spurt of anger and disgust directed at the man who had screwed up the lives of those he should have protected. Those he had eventually killed and injured by selfishly driving while drunk.

As horrible as it was to say, perhaps Rodney would have a better chance without his immediate family. He needed a safe, nurturing environment where he could develop his mind and heal his soul. But where to place him? He had almost no family to speak of. Both his parents had been only children. His mother's parents were dead, and his paternal grandparents in Canada hadn't been too welcoming of the idea of taking in Rodney when Tracey had spoken to them. They said that they were '_distraught_' over '_beloved Michael's_' death and felt that they needed '_time to cope with the loss_' before they considered taking Rodney into their home.

Bullshit.

Tracey could tell from the tones of their voices that, even though they were his legal guardians now, they would never welcome the boy into their home. They didn't want to be saddled with the burden of raising a child. Tracey felt like shaking them. They were his family for Christ's sake! They were supposed to be fighting to keep him, instead of blithely handing him over to Child Services in a different country. But, Tracey couldn't force them to take him. (Not that she would. There was no point placing Rodney somewhere he wasn't wanted and would be miserable) He had no where to go, and it fell to her department to find him a home.

She had met him only once. He was in the hospital after the accident, and he had been rude, arrogant and dismissive of her. Despite this, Tracey liked him. She knew it was all a front; a way of protecting himself from the world. His family life had sucked, so he had kept people at bay, hiding his insecurities and fears behind a brusque front and an arrogance of his intelligence. It was basic psychology.

Also basic psychology was the fact that with the right amount of love and care, most people can be reached. And she knew just the people.

Tracey smiled as she pulled out a file from her desk. The Sheppard's would be perfect to foster Rodney, at least for the time being. Andrew Sheppard was a policeman and Anna was a housewife. Tracey knew though that her real job was looking after the kids that they fostered. Usually, they took in small children who were in care for short periods of time due to familial circumstances, but Tracey was confident that they would make an exception for Rodney, once they knew the facts. Besides, it stated in the file that they had no foster children at the moment, because Anna had hurt her back, and couldn't bend and lift. They had one son of their own, John, who was also twelve, so maybe that would help Rodney come out of his shell.

The one downside was that they lived on the other side of town from where Rodney had lived before. School was starting again in a few weeks, and he would have to enroll in a new one. She had asked Rodney if he would mind changing schools, and for a second, Tracey could have sworn she saw relief in the twelve-year olds eyes before the walls came crashing up again. She flicked through the file again and… Yes, there it was. Several teachers had come forward with the suspicion that Rodney was being targeted by several of the older boys as a punching bag, but they could not prove it. Rodney had refused to talk about it, but Tracey had a feeling that changing schools wouldn't be a problem.

She wanted this to work out… so much. She felt guilty and responsible for the boy as his family hadn't been identified as needing help, and now it was too late. The next stop for Rodney after foster care was an orphanage, and she fervently didn't want it to come to that.

With renewed determination in her eyes, Tracey picked up the phone and dialed the number on the Sheppard's file.

zzzzzz

"Hey Sweetheart," Andrew Sheppard called out as he opened the door to his home. He shrugged out of his jacket and wandered though the house, finding his wife in the kitchen chopping vegetables. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her nose playfully. Anna grinned up at her tall husband, hugging him back. His dark hair stuck up at unruly angles, and his hazel eyes were alive with humour. They had been married for fifteen years, and still hadn't tired of each other. She doubted they ever would.

For all intents and purposes, they had the perfect life. Their son, John, was (in her opinion anyway) beyond perfect, and she adored fostering. Andrew worked hard as a cop, but he always made time for his family, including whatever child they were fostering at the moment.

"How was your day?" Andrew asked as he reached around his wife and snagged a piece of carrot from the chopping board in front of his wife. She slapped his hand lightly, and he moved out of reach, grinning cheekily.

"It was ok. It is weird though having the house so quiet. John was at Ritchie's house for most of the day, so it was just me. I got a call from Tracey in Child Services though."

"Oh? They have another kid for us? I thought we were taking a break for a while because of your back." Andrew felt a brief flash of anger at Child Services. They knew his Anna wasn't up to running around after young kids at the moment, and yet they called her? His wife cared too much, that was her problem. She could never turn down a child in need.

"Before you get all angry and jump to conclusions, they don't want us to take on a baby. Two nights ago, a man drove into a wall, killing himself and his wife and daughter. He was drunk as hell at the time. His son Rodney escaped with relatively minor injuries. They want us to take him in."

"Rodney huh? How old his he?" Andrew asked, truly interested. He was disgusted at the man who had killed most of his family, and wanted to help the kid.

"He's twelve, like John. It seems his home life was pretty crappy. His father was an abusive drunk, so he buried himself in schoolwork. He was targeted by bullies though in school, so he really wasn't safe anywhere. He goes to Roosevelt, you know, on the west side of town. There would be no problem though for him to move to Jefferson with John"

"Sounds like you have it all planned out," Andrew put in mildly. "It also seems like this will be a long term thing. Do you think we are up to it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, up to now, we've only taken in small kids, and only in the short term. We're talking about taking on another teenager for a long time. Where will he sleep? Are we ready for it?"

"He can sleep in the spare room. As to the rest, I don't know," Anna answered honestly. "But Andrew, we've got to try. There is just something about how Tracey described him. We have to at least try to help him." Anna's eyes were glistening with tears, and sending pleading looks towards her husband.

Andrew sighed deeply, conceding defeat. He knew he could not deny Anna what she needed to do.

"Alright, we'll do it. At least, we'll give it a shot." Anna beamed at him, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I've got to go call Tracy and tell her we'll do it. Rodney is still in the hospital at the moment. He will be out in two days, and I want to go see him tomorrow so I won't be a complete stranger to him."

"Did you tell John about this?" Andrew asked her retreating back.

"Not yet," she called back. "I'm sure he won't mind though. I mean, John gets on with everyone, right?"

"Just one last thing!" Andrew called as Anna dialed the phone. "What is his full name?"

"He's McKay. Rodney McKay."

"Right, McKay."

Andrew made a mental note to check up on any McKay's' that were in the police file. If they were going to do this thing, they were going to do it right.

zzzzzz

So, any comments?

Read and review please.

shootingsilverstarlight


	2. Hurt

Hiya. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. Real life can be a bitch at times, can't it?

Thank you to the people who pointed out that Joe is actually older than David. To be honest, I couldn't find Joe's age on any site for some strange reason, but if there is only a year between them, then all the better! Makes it more believable.

Summary: Anna meets Rodney for the first time, and becomes more determined than ever to help him.

**zzzzzzzz**

Rodney McKay plucked absentmindedly at the hospital bedcovers with his one good hand. The other was cradled protectively against his chest, wrapped in a cast. He was in a room on his own, though there were beds for several more people. His bed was by the window, and the bright sunshine streaming in from outside seemed to mock his black, heavy mood.

He still couldn't believe it. They were gone. He was alone now… not that they had been that close. But still, he was alone… no parents or sister anymore. His mother hadn't been the strongest of souls. She had been terrified of her husband, and hadn't even stood up to him when he started beating on him and Jeanie. Rodney had felt pity for the woman, as he had seen pictures of her in her youth and realized that she was a mere shell of the woman she had been.

And Jeanie… Oh God, Jeanie. Rodney had loved his big sister more than anyone in the world. She protected him from their father's wrath. Rodney was a genius, but it didn't take someone with his I.Q. to figure out that Jeanie's wild behaviour had started almost as soon as their father had decided that Rodney was '_old enough to take it like a man_' and had started hitting him. He'd called her on it once, and asked her why she brought all that extra pain on herself. She had just smiled and said, "You're my brother Rodney. We're family. It's what we do for each other." And now, six weeks later, she was dead. God, he would miss her.

Rodney wasn't sure if he believed in an afterlife. His mother had prayed fervently to God for help, but none was ever forthcoming. Their father had held his family in a vice-like grip to the end. But at that moment, he wished that there was a heaven and a God. Because if there was, then there had to be a hell also and Rodney wished his father could burn there for all eternity. He felt nothing but a cold hatred for the man who had destroyed his family and then killed them due to his own selfishness and stupidity. Rodney vowed there and then never to allow another's person stupidity to impede his life. Never again!

But, he was only twelve. He had no choice at the moment. He was probably going to get shipped to his Grandparents in Canada, and honestly, the thought terrified him. His grandfather was even worse than his father had been. He remembered, when he had been five, he had been visiting their house for the weekend. He was an inquisitive, outgoing child and had wanted to see a picture on the piano. He had climbed up on the stool, and reached out for it. His grandfather had come in, and seen him there. He had screamed at him to 'get the fuck away from there' and had pushed him off the stool. Rodney had fallen and hit his head against the floor and hurt his wrist. His grandfather hadn't cared though, and had screamed at him for ten minutes about touching something that wasn't his. His grandmother hadn't been much help, just standing there and watching as the five year old cried hysterically. Rodney knew that of he went back there, he wouldn't last long. He'd either run away and end up on the street, or he'd be dead.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked up to see that social worker… Tracey Richards or something like that standing there. Great. Just what he needed. A do-gooder telling him how much 'fun' he was going to have with his grandparents. As if. He really didn't trust social workers.

"Hi Rodney," she said as she approached the bed. "Remember me?"

"Yeah, you're the one who comes in to clean the bedpans, aren't you?" Rodney sneered. To his surprise, she barely reacted to his insult, only smiling slightly. Weird.

"Cute," she said dryly. She tapped his legs slightly so he would move them, and she sat down on the side of his hospital bed. "Listen Rodney, I've been on the phone with your Grandparents…"

"You mean the Spawn of Satan and his Whore," Rodney interrupted.

"Hey!" Tracey exclaimed shocked.

"I'm just telling the truth," Rodney told her smugly, glad to get a reaction of her.

"Anyway, I've been on the phone to them, and they think it is in your best interests to stay with a family here for a while."

"You mean foster care," Rodney said, and she could hear the tremor of relief in his voice.

"I mean foster care," Tracey confirmed. "Now, I've spoken to one family, and you'll be living with them for a while. Their name is Sheppard; Andrew and Anna Sheppard and they have one son John. He's twelve too."

"Oh, cos I get on so well with people my own age," Rodney muttered under his breath. "I bet he's a jock."

"He's twelve too," Tracey continued, ignoring his little fit of petulance and going on, "and they live about half an hour's drive away from your house now. You'll have to change schools though, but you said that wouldn't be a problem," she finished, and gave him the courtesy of not commenting on the relief that flooded his features when she said he would be changing schools.

"Ok," she told him. "I'm going to see if Anna is here yet. She wants to talk to you. But when she gets here, you be nice to her, ok Punk?"

"You just called me Punk!" Rodney exclaimed. "I could get you fired for that."

"I'm just telling the truth," she smiled at him, echoing his earlier words.

Rodney couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. Not everyone could keep up with him, and he had just found someone that could. Despite himself, he found himself liking this particular do-gooder.

**zzzzzzzz**

Tracey left the room, and came to stand next to Anna, who had been watching the entire exchange from the corridor.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"He's got quite a mouth on him, doesn't he?" Anna observed.

"He's being polite there," Tracey told her. "You think you can handle him?"

"He's in pain," Anna mused almost to herself. "And I'm not just talking about physical pain. His soul, his spirit is so sad. He's been through absolute hell, and he's only twelve."

"I know. I feel so guilty that nothing was done about this."

"You can't save everyone Tracey. No matter how much you want to. It's just not possible."

"Tell me about it. So, do you think you can handle him? You are, after all, used to babies and toddlers. He's almost a teenager, and he's got twelve years of pain and suffering backing him up."

"On the way here, I began to have second thoughts," Anna admitted. "I mean, John has been great. He hasn't given us a hard time."

"That's because he hasn't discovered girls yet," Tracey joked and Anna laughed at the truth of it. Her John was going to be a heart breaker when he grew up, of that she was sure.

"I started asking myself what right we had to try to help this boy when we aren't sure what we are doing. But seeing him now, we have to at least try."

"You were the first person I asked, and that was because I think you'll be the best for him."

"Thanks. I guess I'd better go in there and say hello."

"I'll wait here. And remember; don't be put off by his attitude."

"I know. See you in a few minutes."

**zzzzzzzz**

Rodney looked up when Anna entered the room. She was medium height with long black hair, and a nice face, the kind of face that seemed to say 'Trust me'. Rodney wanted to do just that, but then, his father had had a 'Trust me' face, and look how that turned out.

"Hi Rodney," she said as she entered the room.

"Oh look, do-gooder number two has arrived." Rodney was pleased to see her wince slightly, but she looked even more determined than ever as she came forward.

"My name is Anna. Anna Sheppard," she told him.

"I know. Do-gooder number one already told me, just before she resorted to calling me names."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"Oh yes she did. She called me Punk."

"Well, maybe you are a punk," Anna observed, and was glad to see that for the first time since she entered the room, she had surprised Rodney. "Alright. As I was saying, my name is Anna Sheppard. You'll be living with me and my family when you get out of here in a few days."

"Let's all have a toast," Rodney snarked.

"You're not quite old enough yet Rodney," Anna smiled, and was glad to see the corners of his lips tugging slightly upwards before he schooled his features. "Now, my husbands name is Andrew. He's a police officer and we have one son. His name is John, and he's just two months younger than you."

"Well good for him."

"When you come to live with us, you'll have your own room, and you'll being going to Jefferson with John when school starts again in a few weeks. Do you want to see a picture?" she asked as she pulled one out of her bag and handed it to the boy in front of her. It was one that had been taken at a picnic over the summer.

"Well, aren't you living the American dream?" Rodney sneered as he took in the smiling faces and happy vibe. Against his will, he felt a tug of something deep in his gut as he looked at the picture. It was jealousy, he realised. This family had everything he had been denied, that he would never have. What had Tracey said? He would be staying with the Sheppard's for a while? Well, that just told it all, didn't it? For a while. It wans permanent. Nothing was.

If he allowed himself to hope for more, he'd be disappointed… again. Why waste time hoping and wishing for a better hand than the one he had been dealt with?

Anna watched as Rodney's face literally shut down as he looked at the picture. She knew what he was thinking, but before she could say anything, Rodney dropped the picture and rolled onto his side, away from her.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Go away," he told her.

Anna was a little lost. She had never experienced direct hostility such as this before. She stood, and placed the picture on the bedside locker.

"Ok, I'll go… if that's what you want. I'll be back tomorrow. The doctor says you'll be out of here in two days at the most, and then we'll come and pick you up. I'll see you tomorrow Rodney," she told him as she walked away.

Rodney squeezed his eyes shut. He wouldn't cry! He would not! Just because she acted all nice didn't mean she was. And, you know, that cop husband probably worked all day and her son probably was a spoiled brat. I mean, no one could actually have that happy a family that had been depicted in the picture, could they?

Whether they were or not, Rodney just wasn't going to allow himself to hope.

**zzzzzzzz**

"Are you ok?" Tracey asked as she and Anna walked back to their cars.

"He's so hostile," Anna whispered. "He's been hurt so often that he won't allow himself hope for anything better."

"I know. It's heartbreaking, isn't it?"

"It is. I'm going to enjoy proving him wrong," she said with renewed conviction.

**zzzzzzzz**

Anna stared at the file in front of her, and tried to hold back the tears. Tracey had given her an outline of Rodney's life so far, and what she was reading horrified her. From all accounts, Michael McKay had been a monster, and his family has suffered the most for it.

"Hey Mom," John called as he entered the kitchen. Anna hastily wiped her eyes before John could see her. She didn't want John to be biased against Rodney for any reason before they met.

"Hi honey," she answered as he came towards the table and sat down beside her.

"What'cha reading?" he asked.

"It's just a file. You're getting a new foster brother in a few days," she told him.

"I though we weren't going to take on anyone else for a while cos of your back," John frowned. Anna couldn't help but smile. He was so protective of her!

"He's not a baby. His name is Rodney McKay is and he's two months older than you."

"That's great! That means no crying all night and no one wetting the bed! What happened to him? Are his parents in hospital or something?"

"No. His parents and older sister were killed in a car crash a few days ago," Anna said. She understood the question. They usually took in children short term because of either one or both parents being unable to care for them in the short term.

"Oh," John replied. So Rodney was an orphan? He didn't know how to act around an orphan! Still, if his mom wanted to help this guy, who was he to argue?

"And John? Rodney's father wasn't the nicest of people, so be good to him, ok?"

"Hey," John exclaimed, smiling broadly and standing up. "I'm an angel," he told her.

Anna laughed as John ran up stairs.

Maybe, just maybe, they could pull this off…

**zzzzzzzz**

And that's all for now.

Chapter three… and Rodney is welcomed into the Sheppard home.

Reviews please!

shootingsilverstarlight


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